J VS2 or I SI1 or other ??????

[bedenny]

Hello all.
I must first say that Pricescope is great!!
Two weeks ago I thought cut referred only to the shape of the diamond.
Second, I need your help.
I''ve been looking between WF and GOG (and others) for hearts and arrows diamonds 1ct. or above.
$5500 is my absolute maximum budget, which from what I''ve seen on Pricescope, limits me to a J VS2
or an I SI1. What is the better of the two, or is something else better.
Thanks in advance for you help,

Ben

 

[Hera]

eye clean I SI1

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, between the two, I''d take the I SI1 IF it''s eye clean, since eye clean means exactly that: you won''t see bupkus. So, with the VS2, you''d be paying for something that made no visual difference, whereas the colour grade would make a difference.

Now, this partly depends on what your girlfriend would like, but personally I''m extremely colour sensitive, and would much rather sacrifice hearts and arrows (but not an excellent cut! the two are not the same!) for a higher colour, or dip below the 1 ct mark for a higher colour.

But again, you know your girl best! That''s aboslutely a matter of taste. If you think she''d dig the hearts and arrows (they ARE cool!) go for the I SI1.

my 2 cts.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 9/14/2007 10:04:55 PM
Author: heraanderson
eye clean I SI1

Ditto!

 

[MadMontie1]

Is that your budget for the setting and all? If so, what kind (cost?) is your setting going to be?

 

[Hera]

I''d keep an eye on this one if the person doesn''t buy it:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/3040/

 

[bedenny]

Actually, size is the most important to her.

However, I know that she wants it to "sparkle" and to basically just look really good.
I thought that the hearts and arrows would be the best thing to make the diamond look good, but if I can get a similar stone without paying the premium for the cool effect, I would. I guess I didn''t look in the right place to find an excellent/ideal cut that wasn''t a h and a.
Any ideas of where to look or any examples would be GREAT!
Thanks for your help,

Ben

 

[bedenny]

Sorry, I didn''t clarify.
$5500 is just for the stone.

 

[Hera]

You may want to try dropping the H&A and just getting an ideal cut stone. I agree with getting an to I or J (depending on how color sensitive your gf may be). I also would try very hard to find an si2 that was eye clean. I would call Mark at ERD and give him your parameters and see what he can find. He was able to find me a beautiful I very eye clean si2 non H&A at a great price.

 

[Hera]

Don''t sacrifice the cut though!

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

ah, I dont think you need to drop to SI2, that is really getting toward the low end of clarity and at least for me has alot of mental implications, as a male purchasing the Ering--but of course thats really up to you. Ultimately though, I believe in SI2 she will probably see the inclusions very very clearly from side views, which makes it just plain not worth it to me when there are other very viable options out there. It also requires, in addition to the tremendous effort and limited options involved in finding one that is eyeclean, a bit of effort to ensure that the inclusions are not affecting the light performance.


Of what you mentioned I would say hands down I SI1, just search for one with notable inclusions but still eyeclean.

But in truth, I say if you live in America forget about the Hearts and Arrows title. If it doesn't mean anything to her already then there simply isn't going to be any appreciable difference in performance with another Ideal cut diamond, yet its something you are paying for which means money you can free up to spend on other qualities of the diamond.

So I say aim for AGS0 rather than adding on the Hearts title. With an unbranded AGS0 accompanied with some type of IS image and a good gemologist inspecting it for you you can easily get a CREAM of the CROP one of the worlds top performing diamonds along with higher color and more ct weight.

So, to say it one more time, since Hearts and Arrows means just about nothing here in America, and she doesn't know anything about it, then when deciding what to sacrifice I say sacrifice that and get better color and larger for the same money.

But I guess if I am going to say that three times (on accident but since I typed it I dont really want to delete anything now) when 1 would have sufficed I better go look for some examples. I will get around to it eventually, but not at this moment

 

[Hera]

I see no inclusions on my si2. front, side or otherwise. And I've heard you can see inclusions from the side on Vs quality stones as the clarity is graded from the top.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Suggestions (H and I SI1 mostly):

(Remember the WF ACA''s have a 5% wire/pricescope discount and their Expert selection diamonds have around a 2.5% discount)

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-45607.htm ($5237)

http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-78262.htm ($5337)

http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-283321.htm# ($5264)

http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2950/

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Date: 9/14/2007 10:46:27 PM
Author: heraanderson
I see no inclusions on my si2. front, side or otherwise. And I've heard you can see inclusions from the side on Vs quality stones as the clarity is graded from the top.

Yes, there are certainly going to be some excellent exceptions out there. but it don't think it seems like it would be necessary for him to go that route, and I think there is a bit of risk involved in doing at any rate..

Though to be honest I am trying to find some good non branded deals, and so far DS' examples of ACA seem to be by far the best I have seen. So I may end up having to retract my statements, making me really wish I had deleted it down to only one

 

[angeline]

Date: 9/14/2007 10:48:42 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
Suggestions (H and I SI1 mostly):


(Remember the WF ACA''s have a 5% wire/pricescope discount and their Expert selection diamonds have around a 2.5% discount)


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-45607.htm ($5237)


http://www.whiteflash.com/hearts_arrows/A-Cut-Above-H-A-cut-diamond-78262.htm ($5337)


http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-283321.htm# ($5264)


http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2950/

Great finds DS! I would so go the last one, the H SI1. Your girl won''t see a difference in sparkle between this and the H&A ACA stones, especially if she hasn''t looked at lots of good stones.

 

[Hera]

Date: 9/14/2007 10:41:16 PM
Author: WorkingHardforSmallRewards
ah, I dont think you need to drop to SI2, that is really getting toward the low end of clarity and at least for me has alot of mental implications, as a male purchasing the Ering--but of course thats really up to you. Ultimately though, I believe in SI2 she will probably see the inclusions very very clearly from side views, which makes it just plain not worth it to me when there are other very viable options out there. It also requires, in addition to the tremendous effort and limited options involved in finding one that is eyeclean, a bit of effort to ensure that the inclusions are not affecting the light performance.


Of what you mentioned I would say hands down I SI1, just search for one with notable inclusions but still eyeclean.

But in truth, I say if you live in America forget about the Hearts and Arrows title. If it doesn''t mean anything to her already then there simply isn''t going to be any appreciable difference in performance with another Ideal cut diamond, yet its something you are paying for which means money you can free up to spend on other qualities of the diamond.

So I say aim for AGS0 rather than adding on the Hearts title. With an unbranded AGS0 accompanied with some type of IS image and a good gemologist inspecting it for you you can easily get a CREAM of the CROP one of the worlds top performing diamonds along with higher color and more ct weight.

So, to say it one more time, since Hearts and Arrows means just about nothing here in America, and she doesn''t know anything about it, then when deciding what to sacrifice I say sacrifice that and get better color and larger for the same money.

But I guess if I am going to say that three times (on accident but since I typed it I dont really want to delete anything now) when 1 would have sufficed I better go look for some examples. I will get around to it eventually, but not at this moment

Working hard, what are the "male" mental implications of clarity in a diamond?

 

[bedenny]

Those all look great. Thanks for your opinions.
Take a look at this one.
I know its a J color, but let me know what you think.
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-183726.htm


Is the J color a lot more noticable than an I ????
Thanks again,
Ben

 

[Independent Gal]

If SIZE + SPARKLE are her key things, then you''re just on point: I/ SI1 / excellent cut is the sweet spot! And you can decide whether she would find the H&A sufficiently exciting to warrant the premium.

Another thing that can add to the ''WOW COOL!'' factor (other than hearts & arrows) is a little bit of fluoro. If you get slight fluoro, then in very bright sunlight, the stone will look blue. It really does look extremely neat. I love it! And when I show my friends, they get really excited about it. It''s a fun party trick. Teehee. A little fluoro in an ''I'' stone will also make the stone look whiter. PLUS, it discounts the stone! So, cheaper + cooler + whiter = slight fluoro.

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Where the heck are all of the JA ideal cut examples? I cant find any at all listed in the AGS0 category?

And the site, while the search function is much better, it almost looks like they have become a new blue nile? and not in a positive way? maybe I just need to get used to it? i don't know....at least they still have better customer service anyway.

 

[Independent Gal]

Well, I think it''s more noticeable, but I''m super-colour-sensitive.

Maybe you should go to a B&M store and ask to see an I & a J and see what YOU think?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

There are some girls on here who have beautiful J color stones, but I can see the tint in J color usually. Therefore, I prefer G and H color for my own stones. However, I think I color is very nice and a great value. That''s why I didn''t list any J color stones.

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Yea, I don't think you have any risk at all with an H, and a big enough I really well cut shouldnt be a problem either, but J is getting to the point where she might, depending on what she knows and feels about diamonds, start to think it is a yellow diamond and could end up being displeased or silently bothered by it. Really depends on what she knows and how she feels.

And you have all totally shown me up, I cant find anything better so far

 

[bedenny]

Ok, I just wasn''t sure.
I think 1 ct. is plenty, anyway.
Again, thanks for all the help.

Ben

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You''re welcome, Ben!

Some of those were actually a little over a carat...it does make a little difference to have 1.07 as opposed to 1.0.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 9/14/2007 11:14:40 PM
Author: WorkingHardforSmallRewards
Yea, I don't think you have any risk at all with an H, and a big enough I really well cut shouldnt be a problem either, but J is getting to the point where she might, depending on what she knows and feels about diamonds, start to think it is a yellow diamond and could end up being displeased or silently bothered by it. Really depends on what she knows and how she feels.

And you have all totally shown me up, I cant find anything better so far

Never trying to show anyone up, WHFSR! I just do a search and choose the best stones I can find that meet the specs the person is looking for. I think WF and GOG have better trade-up policies than many of the others, and that is another reason I like them. But I will recommend a JA stone if it is comparable. I do think of JA as more like Blue Nile.

 

[SpeedracerII]

I would be totally comfortable buying a J color stone. This stone is one of the three that I had shipped to a local appraiser and personally looked at. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2713/ It is a J but an ideal cut. It is a beautiful stone. Sitting this stone side by side to an E color stone, yes you can see the difference but it is not as different as you might expect. Standing by themselves I would never be able to tell you this was a J color or that was an E color. The difference between I and J will be very slight, to the point IMO that it is negligible. What is not negligible is cut. A poorly cut J will not look as good as an ideal cut J. If you go to a B&M to compare color be careful of what you are looking at. First you might be looking at an EGL or IGI graded "J" which might not be the same as an AGS or GIA "J." Plus the cut is likely not even close to ideal so you might get a skewed opinion of what a J stone will look like. I''d recommend that you narrow your selection down to two or three stones and have them shipped to your area and put your own eye ball on them. This way you can see the difference yourself in both color and clarity and be comfortable in where you spend your $5500.

If you want you can read about my experience comparison shopping here...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/compared-two-rbs-and-a-solasfera.64993/

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

well, despite what I said earlier, here is a pretty good 1.15 F SI2 AGS0, all the central inclusions seem to be white colorless, no clouds to affect light performance, so it might be worth finding out about. So if this one really were eyeclean it would be a fantastic deal.

5200

http://www.jamesallen.com/diamonds/F-SI2-Ideal-Cut-Round-Diamond-1056446.asp

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

Date: 9/14/2007 11:42:13 PM
Author: SpeedracerII
I would be totally comfortable buying a J color stone. This stone is one of the three that I had shipped to a local appraiser and personally looked at. http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/2713/ It is a J but an ideal cut. It is a beautiful stone. Sitting this stone side by side to an E color stone, yes you can see the difference but it is not as different as you might expect. Standing by themselves I would never be able to tell you this was a J color or that was an E color. The difference between I and J will be very slight, to the point IMO that it is negligible. What is not negligible is cut. A poorly cut J will not look as good as an ideal cut J. If you go to a B&M to compare color be careful of what you are looking at. First you might be looking at an EGL or IGI graded ''J'' which might not be the same as an AGS or GIA ''J.'' Plus the cut is likely not even close to ideal so you might get a skewed opinion of what a J stone will look like. I''d recommend that you narrow your selection down to two or three stones and have them shipped to your area and put your own eye ball on them. This way you can see the difference yourself in both color and clarity and be comfortable in where you spend your $5500.


If you want you can read about my experience comparison shopping here...


https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/compared-two-rbs-and-a-solasfera.64993/

That is some pretty solid advice, to be sure.

 

[bedenny]

Ok, after a little more thought, I decided to drop my stone budget to $5000.
I found this one at WF, and they said it was eye clean.
What do you think?
http://www.whiteflash.com/round_ideal_cut/Round-Ideal-Cut-cut-diamond-358380.htm

 

[WorkingHardforSmallRewards]

I think it looks really nice. From the image I would say that the clouds is probably the main grade setter, though I certainly have no experience grading diamonds so I could be way off base and while it looks clearly visible under magnification I would doubt it would be visible from any angle with the naked eye.

so, I think you may have found a fantastic diamond. I would still ask what it looks like from other angles as I am thinking that cloud may consist of primarily black inclusions
and crystals can do some pretty horrific things from side-views....so I say ask just so you dont have any surprises when it comes to you, and it really doesnt hurt anything to go ahead and find out with only what, a 10 day return period? Gives you more time to think about it if you need to.